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March 28, 2024, 08:11:49 PM

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David Jason spouts a load of fecking bollocks and says he was offered Father Ted

Started by George White, July 23, 2022, 11:40:20 PM

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George White

G...g..granville's saying he was offered Father Ted. https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/11122968/sir-david-jason-was-first-choice-to-play-father-ted/

I'm utterly unconvinced.
A. would they have been able to afford him?
B. It was always intended to be an Irish lead. Now, Arthur Mathews and the Other One say that they always intended it to be Morgan, that he was their only choice, and if heaven forbid he had said no, it would have been Maurice O'Donoghue.
BUT.
Bryan Murray IIRC in a newspaper c.1994 claims that he was going to do a sitcom for Channel 4, after leaving Brookside, where he'd play an Irish priest stuck on an island.

Now, my theory is Morgan was who the writers always wanted. But C4 clearly didn't want to take a risk on someone whose only UK TV had been an episode of Russell Harty in a gag appearance as himself doing his Man with the Hurley character from the Live Mike (a kind of anarchic bigot who'd thrash the set with his sliotar/hurley stick). And at that time, Murray had done the Irish RM, Bread and Perfect Scoundrels with Bowles, so he was a face in the UK (and the US, becoming spokesperson for Irish Spring and PBS' Irish face after the Irish RM did massive over there - as my grandad kept telling me). 
But common sense prevailed.


Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse


imitationleather

Didn't he say this years ago?

We concluded at the time he'd probably got Father Ted and one of those ITV detective dramas about a priest mixed up.

EDIT: I see the date on the article is 2020.

neveragain

There was a thread about this a while back. People generally reached the conclusion Jason was thinking of something else (Father Brown, perhaps). I would certainly doubt Mathews and the other one would have wanted him, since Dermot Morgan's trendy priest character was something of an inspiration.


George White

I'm wondering was it the Mark Williams version, or maybe an ITV thing in the 90s - trying to find another Poirot.
(In the early 00s - they wanted to do Albert Finney as Rumpole).

Jake Thingray

Quote from: imitationleather on July 23, 2022, 11:50:55 PMDidn't he say this years ago?

We concluded at the time he'd probably got Father Ted and one of those ITV detective dramas about a priest mixed up.

EDIT: I see the date on the article is 2020.

It has to be remembered that the OP in this thread is what people in the Forest of Dean would describe as a gommo.


Nowhere Man


Icehaven

Maybe there was going to be an English remake of Father Ted with the cast of Only Fools. Del as Ted, Rodney as Dougal, Uncle Albert as Jack, could have worked.

superthunderstingcar

Ted falls through the bar, and Bishop Brennan makes a face.

"This time next year, Dougal, the money could be resting in my account!"

McDead

What's annoying about all of this is that he would have been perfect* as Father Brown.


*perfick

Twilkes

Apparently David Jason got offered the role of the father in the song Father Figure but it ended up going to George Michael.

TheMonk

Other roles they wanted David Jason to play:
Basil Fawlty
Frank Spencer
Neil in the Young Ones
Rigsby
Bill Oddie
Steptoe
And Son

Cold Meat Platter

Was the original choice to dub the voice of Darth Vader, apparently.

PaulTMA

He played bass on every Beach Boys and Motown hit but did not wear a fire helmet in the studio

Fambo Number Mive

They wanted David Jason to be Prime Minister in 1990 but he was busy so the role went to John Major instead.

Ferris

Perhaps he was offered the lead in the Father Ted Musical. Hope he takes it tbh.

JamesTC


Fambo Number Mive

Really I think almost any film would be improved by the lead being replaced with David Jason.

David Jason playing Max in Mad Max. "You plonker, Nightrider!"

David Jason playing the Terminator. "I'll be back. Lovely jubbly!"

Video Game Fan 2000



Mindy Simmons

David, honey, I love your work, but this is a0 load of codswallop.

And I was totally offered the role of Catwoman in The Batman. 🙄

JamesTC

Quote from: McDead on July 24, 2022, 05:07:14 PMDavid Jason was their first choice for Spiderman

His Uncle Ben didn't half say a lot on his deathbed.

Brundle-Fly

He was offered the part of Blanco in Porridge but they gave it to the veteran Del Boy lookalike actor, Jason David instead.

Captain Z

David Jason was initially chosen for the role of Roderick Trotler in the soon to be relaunched Only Foals Eat Four Courses Cosmic Dining Experience.

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

Quote from: Fambo Number Mive on July 24, 2022, 04:59:43 PMReally I think almost any film would be improved by the lead being replaced with David Jason.
Jason and the Argonauts

Freddie Vs. Jason

Jason Amy


Yep. It checks out.

Bennett Brauer

Jason could have unwittingly stopped Steve Martin from being in two unfunny movies. Writer Bernard McKenna, who worked with Jason on The Odd Job, tried and failed to get the rights to Inspector Clouseau as a permanent vehicle for Jason. They ended up writing The Top Secret Life of Edgar Briggs for him instead. Similar kind of comedy incompetence setpieces.

I turned down the role of "vague looking girl" in citizen x.
I was worried about becoming typecast after playing "thingy wotsit" in that film, with the guy in, 'member, does the thing.


bigfatheart

I know the CaB consensus is that he's confused Father Ted with Father Brown, but when this has come up before I've developed a couple of alternative theories as to what might have happened which, perhaps, make him look a bit less like a doddery confused old cunt.

1. Maybe there was another sitcom about a priest in the works around the same time as Father Ted, and it was offered to him? He wasn't interested, so he turned it down - possibly dismissed it out of hand without even seeing a script - and then, when Father Ted comes on, he thinks "Oh, that must be that priest show they wanted me to do."

2. It's a matter of record that Channel 4 weren't keen on casting Morgan et al because of them being unknowns in the UK. Maybe they sounded Jason out behind Mathews and the other one's backs, hoping he'd say yes and they could use this to keep their inexperienced and presumably now starstruck writers in line. Except he knocks them back, and they reluctantly agree to give this Morgan fella a go. This never gets back to Mathews and the other one, hence why it never got mentioned until Del Boy had a book out.

I mean, those are 100% two scenarios I've completely made up, but the fact that David Jason claimed to have been offered the role of Father Ted when that very definitely didn't happen is something that has fascinated me for a while and occupies far too much of my brain.